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A silicon microwire under a three-dimensional anisotropic tensile stress

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4977852· OSTI ID:1413697
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Materials Research Institute (MRI)
  2. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)

Three-dimensional tensile stress, or triaxial tensile stress, is difficult to achieve in a material. We present the investigation of an unusual three-dimensional anisotropic tensile stress field and its influence on the electronic properties of a single crystal silicon microwire. The microwire was created by laser heating an amorphous silicon wire deposited in a 1.7 μm silica glass capillary by high pressure chemical vapor deposition. Tensile strain arises due to the thermal expansion mismatch between silicon and silica. Synchrotron X-ray micro-beam Laue diffraction (μ-Laue) microscopy reveals that the three principal strain components are +0.47% (corresponding to a tensile stress of +0.7 GPa) along the fiber axis and nearly isotropic +0.02% (corresponding to a tensile stress of +0.3 GPa) in the cross-sectional plane. This effect was accompanied with a reduction of 30 meV in the band gap energy of silicon, as predicted by the density-functional theory calculations and in close agreement with energy-dependent photoconductivity measurements. While silicon has been explored under many stress states, this study explores a stress state where all three principal stress components are tensile. Given the technological importance of silicon, the influence of such an unusual stress state on its electronic properties is of fundamental interest.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States). Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22). Scientific User Facilities Division
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357; AC02-07CH11358
OSTI ID:
1413697
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Journal Name: Applied Physics Letters Journal Issue: 9 Vol. 110; ISSN 0003-6951
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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